Blackened Portabella Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

Here's a delicious vegetarian alternative to a burger, a portabella burger with an extra kick from the blackening seasoning and the coolness from the yogurt sauce.  Yummy! 

Blackening seasoning:

2 T garlic powder

1.5 T ground black pepper

1.5 T ground white pepper

2 T cayenne

1 T dried oregano

1 T dried thyme

1 T sesame seeds

2 T salt

Mix all spices well and store in a cool dark place.

Yields 12 Tablespoons of spice blend.

Portabella mushrooms for 6 burgers:

8 T fresh orange juice

4 T balsamic vinegar

2 T dijon mustard

8 T olive oil

6 T blackening seasoning

6 each large portabella mushrooms, de-stemmed and cleaned

6 each buns of choice

Whisk together the first 5 ingredients and pour over the mushrooms in a shallow pan and allow to sit for 15 minutes, turning it a few times to allow the mushroom to absorb as much of the liquid as possible.

While the mushroom is marinating, prepare the Cucumber Cilantro Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup english cucumbers, shredded and squeezed of excess water

1/4 cup red onions, thinly sliced

8 ounces plain yogurt

2 teaspoon fresh lime juice

2 T chopped cilantro

pinch salt

pinch ground black pepper

1 t brown sugar

Mix all ingredients together.

Grill the mushrooms (about 6 minutes) or roast in the oven (about 15 minutes in a 350F degree oven) and assemble your burger with toasted buns, a dollop of yogurt sauce and slices of tomato and lettuce leaves.

Simply Corn Soup

It's summer time in San Francisco and that means it's really chilly all the time, especially on the west side of time. Although it's cold soup time in most of the country with very hot weather, that's the furthest thing from my mind. It's scarf and jacket weather so here is a simple corn soup I made recently.

Summer is corn season so it's the perfect time to make a soup that is all corn and nothing but corn. There is a natural sweetness that may be a little overboard sometimes, so I contrast with some spice and acid. The fresher it is, the sweeter it will be; as it ages, the sugar turns into starch and the flavor dies. Try to buy it the same day or two of using it and during the peak of season, they are much cheaper.

Corn is a source of folate, dietary fiber, vitamin B1 & C, phosphorous and manganese; in other words, very good for you and so many ways to cook it. Don't forget, you can eat these raw as well. Just cut the corn kernels off and toss them into a salad, if you've never had them raw, you'll be very surprised at the taste. It tastes like corn with an extra crispiness, less sweet and slightly grassy - delicious!

So many ways to cook it:

Boiled or steam: simply cook shucked ears of corn in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes. I've added a pat or two of butter to the cooking water which made the corn taste just a little bit better.

Grill with the husk or not: To grill with the husk, soak the untrimmed ears of corn in water for about 15 minutes completely submerged in water. Place soaked corn over hot coal and cook covered turning to avoid burning on one side and cook for about 20 to 30 minutes. If the corn is very fresh, shuck the corn, toss lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and grill directly over hot coals. They will lightly pop, which a is good sign to turn the ears. Cooking time is much shorter without the husks, about 5 minutes to cook.

Or simply make a soup. To extract as much corn flavor as I can, I cut the corn kernels off the ear and used the ears to make a corn broth.

Corn Broth

5 ears of corn with kernels removed

6 cups of water (enough to cover the ears)

1 onion large diced

3 cloves of crushed garlic

1 bay leaves

Place all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain.

Simply Corn Soup

Olive oil

1 each (about 1 cup) yellow or white onion, medium diced

6 cloves crushed garlic

4 cups corn kernels from 5 ears

6 cups of corn broth

salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a heated pot and cook onions and garlic until translucent.

Season with salt and pepper

Add corn kernels, season with salt and pepper and give it a stir.

Add corn broth and bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.

With a hand blender puree the soup or use a blender. Puree to your liking, leave it a slightly chunky if you like texture in your soup or puree to a smooth consistency if that your thing.

Taste and season with salt, add freshly squeezed lime juice.

If the corn is really sweet, add 1 minced jalapeno or serrano chili with the onions.

I ate it straight but you can garnish the soup with a lime cream (fresh cream and lime juice) or with a pico de gallo (diced tomatoes, onions, corn, garlic and cilantro with olive oil and lime juice).

Day At The Markets

Alemany Farmer's Market

It takes a friend visiting from the east coast to remind me how fortunate we Californians are with our bounty.

We spent most of last Saturday visiting 3 farmer’s markets in the bay area, I was researching the markets for potential product placement and Jeanney was just going for the ride. She loves getting to taste all the samples at the market so a perfect match for the day.

We started out with the Redwood City Market and made our way north. The Redwood City Market is one of the smaller ones but if you’re shopping for produce, it fits the bill. The San Mateo and Alemany Markets followed and those two are much bigger and very different in flavor. I usually shop for produce at the markets and very rarely browse the prepared food vendors and was surprised at the variety and number. They seem to have grown!

The San Mateo Farmer’s Market used to be biweekly until recently, due to construction at the school, they only operate on Saturdays for now. There were 2 new vendors of note: one was a little truck with a full kitchen inside. There were about 3 guys in there, making crepes and other delights for lunch. It looked terribly hot inside but what a great idea. The other was the Wood Fire Woodie, a fire engine red cart with a wood burning oven. They were cranking out some tasty pizzas! Their mobile oven is available for rental.

The Alemany Market recently changed their layout and added more food vendors. Again, there was a mobile wood burning oven operated by Copper Top Ovens, baking up organic whole wheat pizzas – yummy! They’re available for catering as well which can really make for a fantastic event. The options are limitless with these ovens on site – bake fish, casseroles, breads, meats, and on and on.

Next time I come to the market, I will prepare myself for some lunch in addition to my weekly produce shopping.

Escape to Point Reyes

The Marshall Store on Route 1

It doesn't get hot in San Francisco but this past weekend it sure did. We went on a little escape to Point Reyes, a great drive (and I love to drive!) with lots of side diversions along the way.

kumamoto oysters: We hoped to get some fresh oysters at Hog Island Oyster Company, but got there too late as they close at exactly 5PM. They sell kumamoto oysters which are small, plump and sweet with a minerally finish. Kumamotos are originally from Japan but are now farmed in Point Reyes.

The Marshall Store: Instead, we ended up at the Marshall Store and had a great time with plenty of oysters and some cold beer. Marshall's is more of a deli/eatery than Hog Island, which is more rustic with picnic tables and only raw offerings. At Marshall's, they offer chowder (delicious), BBQ, rockefeller and raw pacific oysters. Since we are huge raw fans we ordered a dozen for each of us which came with a lemon and a mignonette (a vinegar sauce with cilantro and red onions). The outdoor seating along the road and on their deck is a nice place to hang out, enjoy the sun and the cool breeze before the long drive back into the city.

Check out my previous post for buying, storing and serving fresh oysters at Oysters On A Half Shell.

Coconut Cake

It's been awhile since I baked a cake and what fun I had. This is a coconut cake with mango marscapone filling. Made with a basic genoise cake soaked in orange syrup. Delicious without being overly sweet.

Fresh Garbanzo Beans

Look what I found at the market this weekend - fresh garbanzo beans. This is not your ordinary canned or dried garbanzo beans. This is fresh, still in its pod and each pod daintily nestles one or two beans each.

They can be eaten raw and has a grassy sweet flavor but I prefer then lightly steamed. I steamed some in the pod for about 3 minutes and treated them like edamame beans by tossing it with seasoned salt. It's a bit laborious to eat but worse every effort.

Half pound of pods yielded 1 cup of shucked beans. The shucked beans can be lightly steamed as well, about 3 minutes and tossed into salads or a bowl of brown rice.

Bin Dae Dok - Korean Mung Bean Pancakes

Bin Dae Dok is a cross between a falafel and a pancake. Yellow split mung beans are soaked in water for 4 hours and then ground in a food processor. Add vegetables, egg and flour, season and cook on a lightly oiled hot pan.

Kalbi and Fries

Kalbi is Korean for short ribs. Here the rib meat is sliced thin against the grain and skewered for easier grilling. A traditional kalbi marinade is used, a blend of soy sauce, garlic, onions, sesame oil and a touch of sugar for sweetness and caramelization.

The potatoes are deep fried and tossed with crumbled nori sheets and salt. Delicious!

Sweet Potato Hash

Sweet potatoes are very popular in Korea and Japan where roasted whole are sold from street vendors. They are also a common ingredient in tempura. In this recipe, the sweet potatoes are diced, par boiled and then sauteed with onions, garlic and roasted poblano chilies then drizzled with a roasted poblano vinaigrette.

Butternut Dumplings with Shiitake and Peas

This is a great time of year for produce. I visited the Los Altos Farmer's Market, their first day for the 2009 season, and saw cherries for sale and before we know it, corn and stone fruit will make their debuts.

Fresh english peas are available right now and despite all the complaints, I love shucking them. The time spent is very zen especially if you have your environment completely moodified. Also great to do with company over a good conversation. Are we really that busy?

The butternut dumplings are made with a traditional gnochhi recipe using roasted squash instead of the potatoes but adjustments had to be made for extra moisture in the squash. The dumplings are boiled in salted water and added to sauteed shiitake mushrooms, peas, ginger, garlic, ponzu sauce and a touch of butter.

Shredded Pork Two Ways

Pork butt, pork shoulder, boston butt. It's all pretty much the same and is the upper part of the shoulder from the front legs of the pig. This is the essential cut for pulled pork. A lot of recipes call for slow roasting for 6 to 8 hours but I take a little short cut by cutting the pork into smaller pieces and slow roast at 300 degrees for about 2 to 3 hours. The smaller the pieces, the shorter the time but don't cut it too small or you'll loose the "pulled" pork effect. You'll know it's done when it starts to fall apart slightly and tender when squeezed.

I took a piece a little over 5 pounds and cut it into about 6 pieces (about the size of a fist), marinated in my mango hoisin bbq sauce (about 1 1/2 cups) overnight and roasted it for about 90 minutes covered and 30 more minutes uncovered at 375 degrees. Once removed from the oven and cooled slightly, "pull" the meat apart with your hands to make shreds, removing any big pieces of fat. You don't want the shreds too small as they will break further down with the second cooking.

Once the meat is pulled, place in a pot with another cup of fresh mango hoisin bbq sauce just to heat through and presto, you have pulled pork!

The sliders are a great lunch item, small little sandwiches of pulled pork on toasted buns with a red cabbage slaw. Or go south of the border by wrapping it all in a toasted corn tortilla and adding roasted poblano chilies.

Mango Hoisin BBQ Sauce Recipe (5 cups):
2 ripe mangos peeled and large diced
1/4 cup fresh ginger
8 - 12 cloves of fresh garlic
1 each serrano or jalapeno chilies (or more)
3 cups of hoisin sauce

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree till smooth. Add 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro into the blender to combine.

Red Cabbage Slaw:
5 cups finely shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
olive oil
fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper

Shred the cabbage using a mandoline or with a knife and soak in ice cold water for about 2 minutes. This will shock the vegetable and make it crisp up.
Drain well so that it is very dry and mix in the rest of the ingredients.

Mul (water) Kimchee

No Korean table is complete without a dish or two of kimchee, the national dish. Kimchee is korean for pickle and are made in a variety of spice levels and with different types of vegetables and seafood. The most popular is the napa cabbage pickled with red chili powder, the redness making it look much more spicy than it actually is. No vinegar is used in making kim chee, the acidity and sourness comes from fermentation, requiring an aging period of 3 days to months. People enjoy kim chees in various stageness of ripeness and is categorized as "new" or "old." I prefer old kim chee when the pickling flavors have completely penetrated each cabbage leaf. Really old kim chee is great for making stews so never throw away your kim chee.

This week at the Alemany Farmer's Market, I found a bunch of young daikon for only a dollar. Can't get any cheaper than that, so I decided to make mul kimchee, a pickle without the characteristic red peppers, in a "brothy" brine. It's usually served cold and is great when it's hot.

Trim off the greens, scrub clean the radish without peeling the skin and rinse the greens. I only peeled the head of the radish where stubborn dirt was hiding in its fold. Slice the radish and place in bowl with the greens and about 1/4 cup of sea or kosher salt, do not use table salt for this preparation.

Then add water to cover the vegetable for about for about 2 to 4 hours, if your kitchen is on the colder side, it will take closer to 4 hours. Drain, reserving the salt water and add more fresh water to adjust the saltiness. It should be salty but not as salty as the sea, for my recipe I ended up adding 2 cups of water to the 6 cups of salty water.

In a non reactive container, either glass or plastic, place the radish and water along with the following: 4 cloves of garlic, minced or thinly sliced (more or less depending on taste); 4 slices of ginger; one jalepeno chilies sliced, 1 T of red chili threads, 1 T sugar.

Cover tightly and allow it to ferment outside of the refrigerator for 2 - 5 days. My kitchen is on the cooler side and it took 7 days.

Other than making kimchee, daikons are great roasted or boiled andI love how they turn sweet and tender from the heat.

Poached Egg Salad

Nothing like a poached egg with a runny yolk inside that spills out when cut. The yolk makes an instant sauce with the olive relish that sits on top. The thick slice of toasted ciabatta bread with feta cheese spread is perfect for sopping up the sauce.

Toast the generous slice of ciabatta bread by brushing with olive oil and cook it on the grill or in a hot pan. Just a little browned and not too hard.

The feta cheese spread is a mixture of french feta cheese, chopped toasted walnuts, fresh minced parsley, olive oil and salt and cracked black pepper.

The olive relish is chopped green and kalamata olives with capers, minced fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, olive oil and just a smidge of fresh lemon juice. I rinse my olives and capers before chopping to get some of the saltiness out of it.

The salad is a mix of baby greens, yellow beets and for a little bite and texture, chopped curly green endives. Watercress or frisee would also be a nice addition. Season the salad with a sprinkle of salt and black pepper and toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Assemble and top with a poached egg or two.

Jicama and Sweet Potato with Braised Chicken

The jicama maintains its crunch and the sweet potatoes come out soft and tender. For a bit of spice add one sliced jalapeno pepper and add more if you like spicy foods.

First I seared the cut up chicken in a hot pan on the stove, while that is cooking, I prepped my vegetables, tossed them in the baking dish, added seasoning and a little stock. The seared chicken are placed ontop of the vegetables and the whole thing is popped in the oven for about 30 minutes. I take the chicken breasts out after 15 minutes so they do not overcook.

Jicama and sweet potato with braised chicken recipe:

1 whole chicken cut up reserve bones for stock

2 T chile powder

1/2 yellow onion diced

5 cloves garlic, sliced

2 cups sweet potato peeled and diced (or 2 medium size)

2 cups jicama peeled and diced

2 cups cooked black beans

1 each jalapeno sliced

2 T toasted and ground cumin seeds

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 cups chicken stock

Season the chicken pieces with salt, fresh black pepper and chile powder.

In a heated heavy bottomed pan, sear the pieces, skin side down first and crisp the skin.

Turn over and cook about 2 minutes on the other side.

While that is cooking prep the vegetables into the baking dish, season with salt, fresh black pepper and cumin and toss.

Pour in chicken stock and place the seared chicken pieces ontop with the skin side up.

Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove breasts after 15 minutes.

Oysters on a Half Shell

Whenever the weather turns and I see winter around the corner, I crave for oysters. I usually like my oysters naked, just shucked and slurp but these kumomotos I just picked up from Hog Island Oyster Company, http://www.hogislandoysters.com/

Buying Oysters: Never buy dead oysters, they should be alive and one sure sign is that they are tightly closed. If they are slightly open, give them a tap on the shell, if they are still alive, they will close right up. If they don't close, throw them away. Buy them from reputable fish vendors since they are perishable and need to be harvested from safe waters. It is a law that all oysters must be sold with a shellstock id tag provided by the harvester and dealer – with harvest date, dealer’s name and address, and the state or country the shellfish was harvested. The delivery date must be written on the tag upon receipt and tags must be kept a minimum of 90 days after the last shellfish has been sold. So if you ever have doubts about the origin and freshness of the oysters at you market, ask.

Storage: Fresh oysters have a shelf life of a week (I've seen some articles state that it is 2 weeks) as long as they are stored properly under 45 degrees F and out of the water. Store them with their flat side up so that their liquor does not seep out.

Serving: To serve raw oysters at home, just before eating give them a good cleaning with a scrub brush under cold running water. Make sure to clean at the hinge where the knife tip will be inserted. Don't attempt to open these without the proper tool, opening an oyster gets easier with practice and impossible with the wrong opener. Seeing is the best instruction, here's a video by Simply Ming on You Tube.



Used crushed ice, salt or seaweed as a base and a base is needed to keep the oysters from tilting over and loosing their juice. These Hog Island osyters are garnished with a sliver of pickled onions, ponzu sauce and chopped chives.



Pickled onion recipe:
thinly sliced yellow onions using a mandoline about 1/2 cup
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

Bring rice vinegar and sugar to a boil to melt the sugar.
Add thinly sliced onions and remove from heat.
Chill before using on raw oysters.

Pan Roasted Butternut Squash

I love pan roasting on my cast iron pan. I used portobello mushrooms but other mushrooms can be substituted and since mushrooms are like sponges with liquid, I like to pre-toss the sliced mushrooms with olive oil and some balsamic vinegar diluted with equal part water, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper. If the pan looks like it's getting dry, lower the heat and/or add about 1/4 cup water.

Only the neck portion of the squash was used in this recipe, see the December 1st post for Butternut Squash Soup. I don't normally buy premade food but the duck leg confit caught my eye at the store recently and so I heated that up to serve with the squash. It's actually a pretty good product with a cherry sauce drizzle over the whole thing. Yummy.



Pan Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe:
1 yellow onions, sliced thick
4 portobello mushrooms, destemmed and cleaned. Slice thick and toss with drizzle of olive oil, salt, freshly ground pepper, 2 T balsamic vinegar and 2 T water or orange juice
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
5 cups diced butternut squash
1 roasted red pepper, skinned and sliced
2 T chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup crumbled danish blue cheese
1 cups toasted walnuts, large dice
In a hot heavy bottomed saute pan, cast iron if available, drizzle with olive oil and cook onions for 10 minutes moderating the heat to a low medium.
Season with salt and pepper.
When onions are beginning to caramelize, add pre-dressed mushrooms, adding more oil to pan if very dry.
Stir every once in awhile and cook the mushrooms until they are soft.
Add sliced garlic and stir for 2 minutes.
Remove ingredients from pan and give the pan a quick wipe.
Add olive oil and toss in diced butternut squash, season with salt and pepper and cook stirring occassionally.
When they are about 1/2 way cooked, return the onions and mushrooms to the pan and add the peppers and walnuts.
Toss and cover tightly to steam. If the pan looks dry and no steam is being form, add a touch or water.
Cook covered until the squash pieces are fork tender.
Add chopped fresh rosemary and crumbled bleu cheese.

Butternut Squash Soup with Pepitas

This seasonal soup is quite easy to make with a short list of ingredients and completely vegan. Butternut squash is relatively easy to peel compared to the other thicker skinned gourds and can be done with a good sturdy vegetable peeler. Once it's peeled this vegetable has a lot of flesh that is very versatile with a nutty sweetness. I used half of the squash for soup and the other half as a side dish the next night with some portobello mushrooms.

Garnish the soup with pepitas (sunflower seeds), parsley and truffle oil. Garnishing is always optional but it does add texture and flavor.

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe:
1 whole yellow onion large diced
6 clover garlic, smashed
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups diced butternut squash
water
salt and pepper
sweet paprika to taste

4 T sunflower seeds, toasted
4 T italian parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper
truffle oil or olive oil to cover

Heat a medium sauce pan/pot, drizzle 2 T olive oil and sweat the onions and garlic.
Pour in wine (this is optional as well) and simmer until almost dry.
Add butternut squash and 4 cups water.
When it comes to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer until squash is cooked through and very soft with poked.
Remove from heat and puree with a blender. A handheld blender is perfect for this job.
Adjust seasoning with salt, freshly ground black pepper and sweet paprika.
While butternut squash is cooking prepare the pepita garnish.
Toast pepitas on a dry hot skillet, stirring often so they do not burn. They will brown slightly and start to pop a bit.
Add chopped fresh parsley, salt and freshly ground black pepper and olive oil or truffle oil.

Persimmon Cake with Candied Ginger and Walnuts

There are many types of persimmons, only 2 are commonly found in the market: the hachiya is an oblong, heart shaped fruit and are eaten when really ripe. Buy these when they are still firm and leave at room temperature until very very soft and I mean very. Eat these is in a bowl with a spoon, peeling the skin away as you eat or with your hands over the sink to catch all the juices, this latter technique has lots of slurping. Hachiya persimmons eaten before it is completely ripe are extremely astrigent and you will know with the very first bite.

The other type is the fuyu which are squat and are eaten when firm. Treat these like apples or pears, eat them with the skin or peeled. Leave the skin on and julienne the fuyus to add salads. It adds a great texture, a bit of sweetness and a wonderful burst of color.

Persimmon Cake with Candied Ginger and Walnut Recipe:

1/2 pound butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 T finely minced candied ginger

4 each eggs

3/4 t salt

3 cups peeled and diced fuyu persimmons (about 3-5 each depending on size)

2 cups water

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat over to 350 degrees and butter and flour two 9" cake pans.

Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment until the ingredients are creamy and fluffy.

Add egg into the bowl one at a time, ensuring that each egg is incorporated before adding the next egg. Add minced ginger and salt and mix well.

Place diced persimmons and water in a blend and puree to a smoothie texture.

Mix flour, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl and shift about a 1/3 into the butter and sugar mixture.

Add 1/3 of the fruit puree and mix on low speed to incorporate, do not overmix. Stop before the batter is well incorporate, about 4 turns away, and add another 1/3 of the fruit puree and 1/3 of the flour. Repeat mixing and add the final amounts of fruit puree and flour.

Using a rubber spatula fold gently until the batter is mixed thoroughly.

Pour into prepared cake pans and bake in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes.

Check doneness by inserting a wooden pick/skewer into the center, it will come out clean without batter stuck to it. Or press the center of the cake lightly with your hand, if the depression left by your hand rises back, it is done.

Chicken and Beans

Cranberry beans grown in Half Moon Bay, a little sweet, very creamy and pretty colors, which unfortunately fades when cooked.

Recipe for 4-6 servings:
4 cups shelled cranberry beans, cooked
2 T olive oil
1 each yellow onion, medium diced
2 each large carrots, medium diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
2 each celery stalks, sliced
1 cups chicken stock
2 cups large diced fresh tomatoes
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 whole chicken cut up

Place shelled beans in cold water to cover and bring to a boil and simmer until almost tender, about 20 minutes. Strain and reserve.
Meanwhile, brown the cut up chicken seasoned with salt and pepper.

Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large oven safe pan, saute onions, carrots and garlic in olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
When the garlic is about to brown, deglaze the pan with wine and let it reduce by 1/2.
Add the celery, tomatoes, thyme sprigs, beans, chicken stock and bring to a boil. Place browned chicken on top and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until chicken is cooked through and tender.
If it looks dry, add a bit more stock half way through cooking.
Remove chicken pieces from the top and mix the beans well and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Figs stuffed with Goat Cheese

These figs are from my sister's tree, they're small (about one inch length) but incredibily delicious.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Mission Figs Recipe:

16 small figs, cut in half

4 ounces goat cheese

3 T walnuts, roasted and chopped

1 T chives or green onions, sliced

Fresh ground black pepper

In a small bowl mix together the cheese, walnuts, chives and ground black pepper.

Gently scoop out about 1/2 the center of the fig and stuff cheese filling.

Recipe for the salad for 4 servings:

4 cups baby lettuce

1/2 cup shredded red cabbage

1 pear, sliced

2 each bacon, cooked and chopped

12 each stuffed figs

3 T xvoo

1T balsamic vinegar

Toss salad.